Waukegan school security guards charged in payroll scam School security guards ripped off district in payroll scheme, Waukegan police say

January 29, 2008|By Andrew L. Wang, Tribune reporter

Two Waukegan public school security guards were charged last week with felony theft, accused of a scheme in which they were paid for hours they did not work.

Waukegan police and the Lake County state's attorney's office began investigating the guards last summer, after school officials learned of the alleged scheme and noticed some payroll "accounting irregularities," said Cmdr. Wayne Walles, a police spokesman.

Anthony Artley of the 500 block of Lakehurst Road in Waukegan and Dewayne Williams of the 39700 block of Ackworth Lane in Beach Park have each been charged with one count of theft greater than $300, according to court records. Artley, 41, was arrested Wednesday, while Williams, 46, was arrested Thursday.

The men are being held in Lake County Jail in lieu of $35,000 bail. District officials placed them on administrative leave while the investigation continues.

Police declined to detail the scheme, how long it had been going on or how much money was involved. The charges are felony counts for theft between $300 and $10,000.

Investigators are looking through district time sheets and comparing them to payroll records for other part- and full-time jobs the men are believed to have had, said Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Mark McCormick.

"That would conflict with the times they were supposed to be working" for the district, McCormick said.

Attorney William Franks of Waukegan, who is representing the men, did not return calls for comment.

Police said they continue to investigate whether anyone else was involved.

District financial records showed that Artley and Williams were paid between $40,000 and $60,000 for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2006.

The men had been working as full-time security guards at the district's 9th-grade campus for seven or eight years, said Jules Gaudin, deputy superintendent and chief operating officer of the Waukegan Public Schools.

District officials intend to implement new measures to prevent thefts, he said, including improving accountability for overtime and absenteeism.